Ingrid Lewis-Martin, the former chief advisor to Mayor Eric Adams, has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in a case brought by the Manhattan district attorney alongside her adult son and two other defendants on charges of bribery and money laundering.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg accused Lewis-Martin and her 38-year-old son, Glenn Martin II — aka “Suave Luciano” — of conspiracy, first-degree bribery and third-degree money laundering, the indictment unsealed Thursday shows.
Using encrypted messaging apps, Lewis-Martin and her son took requests from developers and leaned on officials in the city’s buildings and transportation agencies for help in expediting permits and other issues, the grand jury indictment alleges.
Bragg alleges Martin II was paid more than $100,000 through a $50,000 cashier’s check and a $50,000 personal check from the other co-defendants. He was also paid $2,950 in cash in exchange for the alleged help.
The DA said Martin II transferred $50,000 of the money to his DJ company, Suave Productions, and also to issue a $113,000 cashier’s check to buy a Porsche.
“We allege that Ingrid Lewis-Martin engaged in a long-running bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy scheme by using her position and authority as the Chief Advisor to the Mayor of the city of New York to illegally influence Department of Buildings and other city decisions in exchange for more than $100,000 in cash and benefits for herself and her son, Glenn Martin II,” Bragg said in a statement.
Prosecutors also charged two other defendants — Raizad Vaid aka “Pinky” and Mayank Dwivedi, both real estate developers focusing on hotels — with bribery and conspiracy.
Bragg alleges Martin II was the intermediary between his mother and Vaid and Dwivedi to communicate, arrange meetings, and receive payments in exchange for their help with development projects in Manhattan.
Vaid also allegedly sought Lewis-Martin’s help with a visa issue for a family member, according to the complaint, as well as a Department of Transportation-issued permit.
Vaid and Dwivedi also paid Lewis-Martin and her son for help with other business ventures, including a clothing line and a Chick-fil-A franchise — ensuring she would help with any city issues, the complaint says.
“When city officials monetize their office for personal gain, they undermine fundamental principles of integrity in government, diminish trust in public officials, and unfairly tarnish the reputations of the countless City employees who use their office solely to serve the public good,” Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber, whose agency partnered with the Manhattan DA’s office in the case, said in a statement.
Lewis-Martin, 63, abruptly left her job at City Hall this week, although she had discussed her end-of-year retirement earlier this fall.
A day after her departure on Monday, she and her lawyer held a press conference where they said they expected the indictment to drop this week.
“I’m being falsely accused of something — I don’t know exactly what it is, but I know that I was told that it’s something that’s illegal, and I have never done anything illegal in my capacity in government,” Lewis-Martin said at the time.
She and her lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said they knew then it was based around alleged illegal gifts she received and that others would be named in the case.
Lewis-Martin is Adams’s longest and most trusted aide. Their relationship dates back to the mayor’s time in the police academy with Lewis-Martin’s husband, Glenn Martin.
Her time in politics dates back to the 1980s, when she worked at Renaissance Development Corporation as a grant writer and then volunteered on the re-election campaign of Congressman Major R. Owens before taking a paid position as deputy campaign manager, according to her biography provided by City Hall.
She was a social studies teacher for nearly a decade at IS 320 in Brooklyn from 1984 to 1992 then worked on Adams’ State Senate campaign in 2007. She then joined as his chief of staff in Albany, and later worked for him in the Brooklyn borough president’s office starting in 2014.
When she officially announced her retirement last week, Lewis-Martin said she wanted to spend more time with her family including her granddaughter.
In Thursday’s indictment, court records show she spoke briefly about her life after City Hall when speaking to an unnamed real estate agent working to find a place for her son to open a Chick-fil-A franchise.
“I’m not playing,” she allegedly said in a phone conversation. “Your sister has to be rich! I’m gonna retire.”
